Smmhs 2016 lit magazine1

The Eagle’s Perch Signal Mountain Middle School Literary Publication

Spring 2016

________Note From the Editor_______

Welcome to Signal Mountain Middle School’s 20152016 Literary Magazine, The Eagle Perch. Highlighting our middle school’s students’ literary and artistic creations, this magazine’s goal is to inspire its readers with the talent and skill of Signal Mountain’s middle schoolers. We are ecstatic that we have received so many creative and incredible submissions this year, and hope fellow students continue to create such wonderful works.

We are also very excited to announce that this year is the first year we have worked alongside the art department, and several art students have submitted their creations, The creativity that the students have displayed is limitless, and I hope you will be as inspired and amazed as I was while reviewing them.

- Ethan Fell - 2016 Literary Magazine Editor

Spring The never-ending sky is a fresh pale blue.

The red and black birds all loudly sing.

The yellow, orange, and pink flowers bloom.

You can tell it's spring.

The people are happy with everything, and we all do our own thing at the fresh spring fling!

Virginia Whitney

Friends I was teased in your house.

Spit out by your mouthLost, but you’re a foolToo loud to be coolSo many So easy Sung in So many

feel aloneto be donea chorusfor us-

I'll never feel alone.

We're right, where we belong.

Emma Smith, 8th Grade

Under The Sea Under the sea is a song everyone knows, from a mermaid movie little girls love.

But what truly is under there, are creatures.

Just chilling, hitching rides with the currents, and going with the flowThree zones to explore, and what’s more?

Pollution is leaking into the waters, oil spills turning water black as night, all because of usIf you want Earth to be the same as it is, then save the poor creatures who scuttle on the seafloor and hitch rides on currents going with the floor.

So, know what is, truly, under the sea.

Nash Rock, 6th Grade With all the “good,” and all the “wicked,” and all the “wrong,” and the “right,” in a world so black and white, don’t we all just need some clarity?

That pebble makes ripples, in our still and clouded pond.

For a new sight to arise, and to save us from our blindness; To finally see what is actually “good,” and to know what is actually “wicked”Maybe, a new way of looking where we finally seeWouldn’t it help us all if we were finally able to get some clarity?

Laughton Miller

A Smile This small gesture can do a lot.

It’s a gesture of happiness and kindness. and that people notice things, such as your unhappiness.

Guess who I am?

A smile, the tiny thing someone gave you in the hall, and you gave it back.

Maybe next time, you could start the smile train.

Maybe you-

Katherine Johnson

Bullying Whispering, laughing, snickering, sideways glances, and pointing fingers aimed in your directionHumiliating rumors are spread by the perfect ones.

Their elegant personalities are never ridiculed. They never make a mistake.

Surrounded by a group of friends, their lives are perfect, but underneath the layer of beauty, they're cruel, twisted, and mean, and you don't fit in.

Your life is messy, it's an uncoordinated trail of stumbling from one problem to the next, and you don't “look good enough,” or “act good enough.”

Somehow, you're not as cool as them because you're different, and in this hate filled world, being unique is bad, unacceptable, and uncool, so, they ridicule you, mock you, as if you're not worthy to hold their respect.

Unkind words are aim to unnerve you.

Everything you do is shoved under a microscope, so everyone can see it.

You see your flaws as clear as day.

“Ugly,” they call you. “Stupid,” they say.

Even if it's not true, people believe because they are popular and you aren't.

People say, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

They're wrong.

Words sting most of all. Those wounds don't heal.

They don't understand that beauty is on the inside.

Meredith Stafford

Happy Happy is just happy.

It’s not joyful.

It’s not kind.

It’s nothing but happy.

Happy is when you do good.

Happy is getting the game-winning hit.

Happy is the feeling you get on Christmas morning.

Happy is mostly happy.

Happy is a smiley face.

Happy is seeing the family you never get to see.

Happy is being nice.

Happy is sometimes happy.

Happy can be deep inside, or it can be right on the outside.

I guess, I was wrong.

Happy isn’t always happy.

Keegan Speek, 6th Grade

GYMNASTICS Blood, sweat, tearsCourage, time, the beatTeammates, coaches1st, 2nd, 3rdHours and hoursHard, hard workTwirling, flying, tumblingMy happy placeSierra Cummins, 6th Grade

Basketball When I’m gone, I miss it.

When I’m home, I forget it.

When I play, I FEEL it.

My palm grips around the bumpy rubber.

My fingertips slide.

I feel the vibration beneath my feet.

The bounce off the backboardThe swoosh of the netThe squeak of my tennis shoesI love it.

I love all of it.

Ella Buck, 6th Grade

The Sky Always changingFrom light to dark; From blue to grey; From sunny to cloudy; From clear to stormy-

The sky is always changing.

From the stars up in the dark, night sky, to a big huge star, casting light down below-

Carson Turner

Spring The vibrant colors; The bright, blue skies; The smell of fresh rain falling on the ground-

The birds chirping in the trees; The trees blossoming with new life; The cool breeze, so you’re not too hot, Not too cold; Perfect.

The bees buzzing; The butterfly’s graceful landing; On a bright colored flower-

New beginnings and new lifeSpring.

Sara Jane Landry

Arizona, Grand Canyon State Flat, burnt orange plains; Green, spiky, and poky cacti; bright sunshine beating down; on the highway to Phoenix-

Home to the great Grand CanyonMile - deep with a stream of bright blue water hidden wellFamilies rafting, shouting joyouslyHeld tight inside brightly colored life jackets-

Arizona, trusted with sunny daysA family reunion; A 10th birthday; Hours spent in a bright blue pool, a week in Arizona-

Eleanor Cornett, 6th Grade

Paradise A sunrise, the color of a ripe orangeMy bare feet dancing on the soft sand, creating complex patternsWaves crashing vivaciously on the shore, scattering seashells aboutSoft voices swept away by the windBreaths taken away by the beautyIf you stand still, you may feel your soul being lifted from your chest to a paradise like no other.

Virginia Chimley

Dozing Off Once Again, time for all of the sweetest of dreams to go dancing through your head with beautiful kingdoms and castles grand.

Dandelion fluff, surfing the wind.

Cherry blossom tree with its sweet pink bloomsMaybe a bright green field with its collection of freshly colored flowersThe bright shining stars, glowing in the dark night sky.

Or swans swimming gracefully in a shimmering crystal lakeEverything is possible in our lands of surreal realities, but also, too good to be true-

Laughton Miller

Stars Big balls of gasSo far awayMillions of celestial bodiesThat truly do amazeThere are many great things in life, but none can compare to the twinkling balls of gas that make me watch and stare.

Max Johnson

Thinking Sometimes I sit, and sit, and sit, and sit, and sit, and sit.

Sometimes I think, and think, and think, and think, and think, and think.

What I sit and think about, well, no one really knows, but what I do to show my thoughts, is just quite amazing.

Virginia Whitney

Hungry You sit down at your table with a nice meal to eat.

He sits down at his with barely a bowl of rice.

You refuse your vegetables because you don’t like them.

He refuses his because he’s not the only one around the table.

You would like a freshly cooked meal rather than leftovers.

He doesn’t even know what leftovers are.

You say you’re starving, while you’re hungry.

He says he’s hungry, while he’s starving.

YouAnd himHappyAnd hungryKatelin Little, 6th

Ode to the East Coast There's a line in the sand, clear and defined, marking the waters reach and what it won't find.

There's a silence in your car, cozy and neat.

It's comfortable like the A/C, keeping out the summer heat.

There's a beautiful moment, honest and pristine, where we took pictures of a sunset.

You have to have been there to have seen.

There's a song from our guitars, gentle and controlled.

The strings are cool against our fingers.

The fretboards are something solid we can hold.

Emma Smith, 8th Grade

Earth: A Spinning Time Capsule I am from rock, from molten lava and heat, formed together by the kind hands of destiny.

I saw the birth of wonders from my very soil.

Beautiful beats would bellow, as they roamed my plains.

It was peaceful then‌ Then, mankind poured into existence.

They flooded me like a storm.

Many were filled with beauty, while others were filled with hate.

The balance was kept equal, as I watched with curious eyes.

It was peaceful then‌ These humans were interesting with their creations and ideas.

They were animals finding new ways to entertain themselves.

With these creations, came the darkness of hate, suffocating the innocent and curious.

The balance began to change, as so did my feelings for these creatures.

WarsCrimeHatredIt was like a tidal wave that left no one behind.

These creatures have only left battle scars on once a planet that had been loved.

I am a bomb, just waiting to go off.

But wait!

I can see it.

A sliver of hope is left, making a small beam of light in this vast black hole.

Maybe-

Just maybeThings can go back to the way they were.

It was peaceful then.

Devin Kodsi, 8th Grade

Nerves You come over.

I plaster on a fake smile and wave.

I don’t know why you’re here.

You’ve always hated me.

But I’m here, and I can’t leave.

I want to leave, but I’m a rock that won’t move, and I can’t wipe this stupid smile from my face and just speak.

I know whyBecause I’m a bucket of nerves being tossed around like somebody's lunchI’m too scared to say anything for fear of being judged.

I look happy, but on the inside, I’m a nervous wreck.

On the inside, I’m shaking.

I just want to be somewhere else.

AnywhereBut Here-

Janie Kennedy, 6th Grade

Fear A mask covering your eyes, a veil cloaking youYou can't see past it.

You can't see the hope because of this darkness flowing through your veins.

Your mind is paralyzed, scared of what might happen.

If you take the wrong turn, it might catch up.

It might overpower you, consume you.

If you keep running, you'll tire.

You can't hide.

You can't escape yourself or your fears.

Fear always lurks around the corner, waiting to pounce on you, to overtake you, and then what will you be, A shell in which Fear works its grim desires.

You won't be a person anymore, and if you it takes you, your life will be a living nightmare.

You stumble and fall to the ground.

Fear’s smoky hands grasp at your ankles, it's power swaying you to give in.

It wants to take you over.

It wants you to fear it, to be terrified.

Every scream you attempt and every step you take makes it stronger, gives it power.

What would happen if you stopped?

If you looked into its black pupils and told it “You don't control me,” what would happen then?

The haze would clear from your eyes.

You would wake up.

The light would break through the dark clouds and shine on you.

The cold fist would release you and slink away, back into the murky depths, and Fear would not be your master.

His once frightening dark form would dissipate at the mere presence of Light, and you would not be running, would not be hiding, because Fear doesn't own.

Meredith Stafford

The Truth Sometimes, you might feel like giving up. Like quitting is the only way to save yourself, to escape fear and anger and sadness.

That is not true.

Even when you feel like life is trying to break you and twist you and that you should stop trying to fight because you’ll be helping yourself, that you should accept your fate, then you need to understand in your mind and your heart, that is not true.

Because no matter how far and how fast you run, life will catch back up to you and hurt you even more. And you may think to yourself, “I can’t go on, I can’t change this.”

That is not true.

A friend once told me that people who quit on themselves and everybody else because supposedly nobody loves them, that they’re wrong. He told me that when people give up, they can’t go back. They don’t understand that there is always somebody that loves them and that people do care about them. People like that have no faith that life will ever get better, and that life will always suck. They think nobody will ever love them.

That is not true.

Sometimes, you just have to have faith.

And that is the truth.

Chad Waye, 7 Grade th

Possibilities Are Everywhere Possibilities are everywhere.

After all, there is a whole world out there.

The trick is finding them.

Possibilities are everywhere.

I challenge you to think and dream and do.

You have a life; live it.

Possibilities are everywhere.

Caroline Cornett, 8th Grade

“What Am I�

I am unique, like a snowflake.

I am loved, like a baby chick.

I am joyful, like a kangaroo.

I am powerful, like a bull.

I am graceful, like a bird.

I am special because I am myself.

Sierra Cummins, 6th Grade

Just a Dream My dream is a monument, but sometimes I just want to quit.

It is stressful, involves numerous hours of exhaustion, and causes a little insomnia too.

It is like running a marathon --burnt out, agonizing, and the finish line is in four years.

It is the leap of faith --hazardous, stomach drops, and a whole lot of self-satisfaction.

My dream is not something I take lightly, by acting foolish and not giving a care.

It is what I live for.

It gives all the crazy things I do a purpose.

It is a broken plate when there are bumps in the road.

However, the bumps only make me substantial.

My dream is the sounds of cheering, splashing, crying, and snoring.

It is like a box of chocolates.

I'll never know what emotion I'll get.

It is the feeling of excitement, pain, and redemption.

It drives me to who I want to be. “What is the dream then?� One may ask.

I'll get to that later on.

Time to focus on geometry and the GPA, and twisting and turning, because I need a future that needs structure.

And about exploiting my dream, I'd rather wait until May 16, 2020.

Grace Hogue, 8th Grade

Water Lily

Trapped by an everlasting bindBound to it like the contract I had signedHoping that it will drift away next time I close my eyes, but I awake and it’s still there for every single sunrise.

I have given it my time, my work, and my love, but it turned on me, and now it is something I wish to be free of This burden I hold on to is stronger than me.

I became like a child’s lost toy, floating way out to sea.

I try to escape and I try to hide, but it taunts me and brings me back up the longer than life slide.

I float down the stream, whimpering, holding on tight, to this weak little thing that to me has much might.

My beauty and grace may be enchanting from the outside, but I have lost all my roots, and that secret, I must hide.

Like a delicate Water Lily, I have no control, but I can go with the flow and pay the large toll.

Enjoy your life forget your mistakes, or else pay the price and see just how much it takes.

Look towards the future dream with no regrets.

Hear it lure you in, but don’t listen to its threats.

Like a blooming Lily, keep your roots in the ground.

Don’t go to the water or else soon you’ll be drowned.

Listen to me, your cousin, for I am the wiser.

I kept all the pain. Let me be your adviser.

My outside self covers up all the denial, but I continue to be pulled back down that long, winding aisle.

Listen to my words, for I speak the truth.

Your beauty and grace carry on throughout your youth, but soon it will end, and you must know how to take the right path on the road, somehow.

Like a wisp of air that voice will guide you backwards hoping you’ll be as easy as I was to break into, but you are strong, sturdy, and so smart.

You know that that voice will lead you right back to the start.

Then come memories and all of the pain, like a fire that’s inside of you, forever burning your brain.

Don’t let the voice fool you, for you will regret, not seeing the things, I haven’t seen yet.

Let my outer beauty and grace, for you, be a sign,

so you know that my path was not the path to cloud nine.

Instead go the other way, the way I never went.

The path I took led to everlasting torment.

Your beauty and grace go deeper than mine.

Mine simply exists on the exterior design.

Look to your future, and see all that’s ahead.

Don’t turn around or else join me by the riverbed.

Turn left, not right, for left is the way, the way to happiness and no reason to stay.

Once you’ve taken that first step home, your mind will be clear and you’ll have an endless place to roam.

Never turn back, run far and wide.

I’ll be watching you, here, by the river at low tide, but never look back at me, don’t be silly.

I took the wrong path, for I am the Water Lily.

Ethan Fell, 8th Grade

Christmas Morning It was Christmas morning … getting up running to see what i got then i see it...... its red looks cleaner then a brand new car. its just my size my very first dirt bike. the ground was covered with snow it was like walking on ice. riding it was as hard as driving a car for the first time. wrecking was all part of having a dirt bike.

Mason Swan

Family Family will always be there for you.

In good times or bad times, they will be there.

Then, there are friends that are like family.

Good friends, your best friendsWe are there for each other.

AlwaysIn darkness, black as night, ‘till the sun shines brightly, We are family.

Nash Rock, 6th Grade

Happy Sometimes, the world seems empty, messy, and filled with war.

Sometimes, people seem ignorant, angry, and judgemental.

But somedays, the world seems, okay, kind, organized, and bright.

And somedays, people seem, okay too, caring, nice, and open.

Somedays everything seems perfect.

Somedays you know that problems will work themselves out, and that everything will be okay.

But then, the world turns back to war and violence.

And people rediscover their ignorance, and things don’t seem right.

And you think to yourself, maybe on those perfect days, you’re in your own world.

And the world never really stops fighting.

That the world never really finds peace, even for just one second.

But it’ll be alright.

Because in your own world, you’re happy.

And that’s what matters, being happy.

So you stay happy, and the world stays sad.

But if everyone could find that happy place, then the world would be okay.

The world would be happy.

Sara Jane Landry, 7th Grade

New Kid Seventh gradeNew studentNew student at a big schoolUnfamiliar facesUnfamiliar voicesRushing to each classrunning there fastSome people talked to you, yet no one knew that time and time went by.

You were still the new kid, fearful and shy.

Each day got longer, and l o n g e r, and l o n g e r.

Until a new class began with new people, new friends.

Nadia Weaver, 8th Grade

"The Perfect Day" The crisp clean air Feeling so free Your eyes closed shut Listening to the breeze Your toes all sandy Your hair all wet Nothing to do So just relax The sun shining bright It like paradise The palms are swaying The gulls are gliding It's the perfect day The clouds are as white as snow The sand are diamonds That are glistening in the sun The waves are soldiers Stampeding into battle It's the perfect day I don't want it to end But the sun must set The new day begins So let's do it again -Sydney Luthringer

Signal Mountain Deep in the forest, Beyond the town, stands a building, standing strong and tall.

Inside that building children walk in to learn.

The SchoolBeyond that stands homes, together, standing like a pack.

Joined by roadsWhere I grew upMy neighborhoodThrough the forest, lay the adventures, Hiking to the water and looking off the bluff.

Into the valleyInto the riverBeautyAcross, lies a different worldShops and restaurants, lively and funFor the familiesWhere all come togetherA small town, big dreams, loving familiesThis is where I come from.

HomeEmalee Nix, 8th Grade

Eyes Don’t make me turn back around and look you in the eye.

The eye that held me at my weakest, then left me all alone.

Who are you to shove me away when all my guards are down, and break down all of our walls that kept me strong and still?

My eyes are off of you, so why not go and leave?

Just leave me alone in all my sorrow, so I can stay and just be.

I have given, to you, everything that I have ever had.

Like the final piece of the puzzle that I gave to only you.

While I thought that you were forever sown into my beating heart, you seemed to rip it out after you left, leaving me with a missing hole.

It’s not that all the things we had, I want to go to waste.

But this act, it seems, came really, way too fast.

You saw me as a baby, infant, child, and teenager.

Wouldn’t you think, through all that time, you would become a part of me?

All the time we spend, in the sun, dancing throughout the day, made me laugh more than anyone else. Speechless, yet, so many words left.

Your deep, dark hazelnut eyes, bright, beautiful, bold.

To match your delicate, wispy hair, the color of snow, white.

You told me stories of your time and everything you knew.

With your words, I saw the sites, like I experienced it myself.

Even with all of that, you still, will leave me here, alone.

My memories of you just won’t seem to disappear.

How I found all this out made everything fall apart.

Like a song in my head going, “Bang Bang”, but that was every verse.

I couldn’t breathe, and couldn’t speak.

Yet, somehow I knew this would have happened eventually.

The melodious music that came from the memories of you, shrank and vanished like dew evaporating from the ground.

You have given me something that I can’t live without, and time without you is a time without love.

Please don’t fly away from me, don’t leave as fast as light.

My feet are stuck in the ground, and freedom, I can’t obtain.

I missed you before you ever said that you would be gone forever.

I miss you more than all the shining stars after a very rough day.

Come out to me. Explain how I must see it.

It isn’t like you to hold everything back from me.

I’ve run so far for you, and my lap is not yet finished, and after all this, our love for each other has become bittersweet.

Before you leave, and become one of the white clouds in the sky, let me breathe out all pain and look you deeply in the eyes.

Ethan Fell, 8th Grade

Soccer The ball is lofted into the air.

The wind is running through my hair.

The shot goes in, and we win!

This is the beautiful game!

The beautiful game, in which the players try to put the ball on frame.

If it doesn’t go in, there is no shame because only one or two are scored a game.

It’s the game where you represent the team on the front, not the name on the back.

The game that anyone can play, even if they lack money or a home.

Whether they live on the streets of Mexico, or a mansion in RomeIf you play attack, you are putting a full team on your back.

One moment can change everything, in the beautiful game.

This is the game where the underdogs can win.

It doesn’t matter if you’re young or small.

It doesn’t matter if you’re big or tall.

You always have a chance too.

You always have a chance.

Indeed, you do.

And when you finally score, the crowd lets out a deafening roar, and the built up emotions in your chest start pouring out of you, like water rushing to a dam, and your heart starts beating out of your body.

BADUM! BADUM! BADUM! It is your chance to finally grin because you have helped your team to a win.

The beautiful game is played by many.

It is played by more than few, and I love the beautiful game that way.

That is why it is here TO STAY!

Remy Newton, 8th Grade

Be Yourself Last night, I lay in bed and, Dreamed of being someone else.

Life had won.

The whispers that said, “You're not good enough,” had been heard.

The pressure?

Insurmountable. It said, Change to fit in. Or so I thought.

Last night, I lay in bed and, Looked at my sisters wall, where a paper blew, saying, “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.”

Caroline Cornett, 8th Grade

A Closer Look At the beach, there is more than meets the eye. At a quick glance, it is a long stretch of sand, bordered by water, with the sun burning your back, but take a closer look. Upon a detailed inspection, you notice dozens of small hermit crabs scuttling about, flinching at the slightest movement. You see a small pool of water washed up in a pit of rocks. Small minnows, starfish, even bits of coral float lazily about.

In the ocean, there is more than meets the eye. At a quick glance, it is a massive body of water, salt floating around, maybe a small school of fish hastily swimming away. But delve deeper. As you slowly sink, you notice hundreds of brightly colored fish slowly moving about.

Stingrays sweep across the shallow ocean floor. In the distance, you hear what sounds like a deep, lonely cry. You brush it off as nothing. There are small and large patches of coral everywhere, some faintly tinted brown, dying as their life comes to an end. Some are as bright as the sun, happily swaying about in the current. You look off to your right and notice a deep drop off. Who knows how far down it goes. You glide through the water towards it and begin descending.

In the open ocean, there is more than meets the eye. At a quick glance, it is a big, dark, bottomless pit of water, with a few stray pieces of seaweed. You look closer. There is a school of swordfish swimming quickly away from something, their eyes filled with fear. You notice what they’re fleeing from. A Great White shark. The sheer size of it stuns you. Twenty-five feet long and as agile as an Olympic acrobat. It continues its hunt, paying no attention to you, chasing down the fish. You suddenly hear the same sound you heard at the reef. A deep, lonely cry. You turn towards the source, a black shadow, slowly bumbling towards you. The whale is massive.

The giant of the sea. It gracefully swims by you. You and the whale making eye contact. It seems to grin at you and continues on to wherever it is going.

You see, there is more than meets the eye. Just take a closer look.

Chad Waye, 7th Grade

The Homeless All throughout the day and all throughout the night, they beg, and they plead, but no one seems to hear them, for they are the homeless.

When they sleep on the dirty ground, they hear the screams of millions of cars passing by, for they are the homeless.

No friends to chat withNo fire to sit byOnly the friendly greetings of the cold, wet rain and the sewer rats, for they are the homeless.

All throughout the day and all throughout the night, they beg, and they plead, but they are like shadows, to every mindless person, for they are the homeless.

Devin Kodsi, 8th Grade

Earth’s Nature The tree’s roots grow deep into the Earth’s ground, the dirt is rich soil there, which makes the roots grow strong.

The trickles down the stream, the water flows through miniature water flows and eventually big ones.

The mountains are as high as the sky, their tips touch the fluffy clouds, the air is cold there like the darkness of the world, the light shines through, and the goodness of the world shines through.

Molly Welch

Goodbye 8th Grade It's been a good year We have learned a ton Summer is coming time for some fun We have had lots of memories pulling all nighters or a few working on homework because so much was due It's been stressful it's been rough it's been annoying it's been tough but I'm sad to say goodbye 8th grade.

Laura Beth Turner

Be The Change You Want To See

Be the change you want to see Anyone can make a change If they really want to Even if they say you can’t You can if you really want to It will take some work But it will be worth it Every peaceful protest in all of American history so far has worked Who says that will stop being true?

“Fight” for what is right BE the change you want to see Audrey McLemore, 6th

People Change Some people leave as if they were never there at all Some people leave painfully Some people stay but are not really here Some people come forcefully Some come as if they were here the whole time Time passes, addresses change, numbers change, people change Out with the old and in with the new It can happen over night It can happen over time New traditions, new homes, new people Time passes, addresses change, numbers change, people change There are happy times With the new traditions, new home and new people There are sad time When you the old You miss because it left a hole in your heart You miss the old house, the old recipes Time passes, addresses change, numbers change People Change.

Abby Franks

Blue BlueA quiet colorHe doesn’t like to draw attention, but he does create a sense of calmness.

BlueThe color of the skyHe creates peace and relaxation, being very nonthreatening and soothing.

BlueA very loyal colorHe is my favorite color.

This is my best friend.

BlueWilliam Bennet, 8th Grade

Pollution The Billowing smoke rising up to the skyWhy, oh why, oh why?

The cities should take control so people can take a stroll in the park without coughing in the smoke.

This is caused by pollution.

Animals harmed in the deep blue seaWhy do you want to be the person that keeps letting out smoke into the sky, harming the species of the Earth?

People need to stop letting out billowing smoke, and it will make the world a better place.

Remy Newton, 8th Grade

Life Doesn’t Scare Me The Seahawks losingTo my life snoozingLife doesn’t scare me at all.

My grades failingThe sky hailingLife doesn't scare me.

To screaming treesTo buzzing beesThey don't scare me.

Seas like stormsAnd monstrous formsLife can't scare me, even if it tries.

To ants that are needlesAnd millions of beetlesI'm not scared at all.

From a night muggingTo leeches suckingNo, they don't scare me at all.

Don’t show me bugs hiding in my bed.

If I'm afraid, it's only in my head.

Meeting new kidsTo sloppy pigsLife doesn't scare me.

Even if my bones snap like twigsAnd even if life triesIt will not scare me.

Until the day that I die.

Joseph Nemec

Jackson Cannon, 8th Grade

Skyla Cessna, 8th Grade

Page Harris, 8th Grade

John Gilbert, 8th Grade

Jackson McLain, 8th Grade

John Gilbert, 8th Grade

Skyla Cessna, 8th Grade

Jackson McLain, 8th Grade

John Gilbert, 8th Grade

Grace Elliot, 8th Grade

Virginia Chimley